Former police, fire chiefs of Colorado city speak out after firings, file intent to sue Federal Heights

It's been four months since first responders and Federal Heights residents crowded council chambers, angered after now former police chief Robert Grado and fire chief Marc Mahoney were fired abruptly.

"It's been very emotionally draining, and there's not a minute of the day that this isn't on my mind," Grado told CBS Colorado. "We were great employees … I personally had gone a year without one resignation in my department."

The termination came after years of what they say was a breakdown in communication between their departments and the city, as well as city manager Jacqueline Halburnt's leadership.

"We were doing the best things for (our officers), and to try to get good change, to get progressive change (and) we were fired," Mahoney told CBS Colorado. "I was shocked, you know, and yet not completely surprised."

Grado and Mahoney both stepped into their roles at a time when the police and fire departments were struggling with staffing issues and receiving funding from the city.

"The city had over 100 serious felony cases that were uninvestigated — sexual assaults, homicide, just you name it," Grado said. "We had victims that had been sitting for three years waiting for an investigation, and those just weren't occurring. So this is where I took over to rebuild the department, and we had a very successful run (and) resolved those cases."

"I felt that I inherited a department that that was under a lot of stress. We had had a lot of turnovers, and a lot of that I felt was due to the treatment of the individual employees," Mahoney said.  "When I became the fire chief in 2019, I was determined to work with the city manager and try (to) follow her leadership, but I very rapidly discovered that there was a mentality of, 'my way or the highway,' and that's really been consistent for the entire seven years that I was the chief. Anytime anything you know came forward that was questioning her authority or her decisions, it was met with aggression and frustration."

In the months before their termination, both chiefs, and the unions representing staff on the police and fire departments, voiced some of the concerns they had regarding staffing and resources.

"The district attorney hosted a breakfast, invited Federal Heights officers and detectives and city council to attend this breakfast, and he gave awards because of all the work that had to be done to resolve these cases," Gradon said. "During that meeting, there was conversations (and) staff was complaining that we were going right back down the rabbit hole we came out of. They saw the writing on the wall. So District Attorney Mason then reported this to the mayor pro tem, who took it to the mayor, which resulted in this meeting that we were called to.

In that meeting, which took place last October, both chiefs continued their discussions among council leaders, the city manager, and the city attorney.

"At no time was that meeting stopped. We weren't advised of any issues. Yet that was one of the reasons we were terminated was for participating," Grado said .

"Once Chief Grodo and I came forward in October, and we voiced our concerns and our complaints," Mahoney said. "In the first week of January (we received) an email basically stating that we were under investigation."

In late January, the police and fire unions unanimously issued a vote of no confidence in City Manager Jacquie Halburnt. During the council meeting, members of both departments and residents spoke out, also urged council to conduct an independent internal investigation on the city manager.

By April 3, however, Halburnt fired both of them. CBS Colorado previously found out council members were not notified of the termination until after it was announced.

"I was terminated after 39 years via text message. My career was ended by a city manager that didn't consult anybody else," Grado said.

"Everything that we have faced has been in retaliation. Everything," Mahoney said.

For them, it wasn't just losing their job that stung the most.  

"The city manager knew my wife was going through cancer treatment, and for her to do that, that day it canceled my insurance. I had no health insurance. I wasn't fully vested, so I lost my pension," Grado said. "Now, I find myself a 60-year-old man out trying to find a job as a terminated chief and deciding which appointments we're going to go to because we have no health coverage at this point."

Grado also worries for the officers he worked so hard to provide a better experience.  

"I personally am hearing confidentially from officers and members of my department that things are not good at the police department right now, and it's heartbreaking to see they're going to be leaving," Grado said. "They're looking for other jobs. All the work that has been done over the last couple years is for nothing if we don't — we need to stop this immediately."

Now, they say they are forced to take a different approach.

"Nothing is changing. There's no response. Nobody will talk to us. So yeah, we plan to sue the city," Grado said.

Together, they have filed an intent to sue the city, and remain hopeful they can hold council members and the city manager accountable, while protecting the legacy they've built for their departments.

"Five years working in this career left, and she has completely taken that away from me," Grado said. "I am unemployable in the profession that I have loved since the second grade, and it's not OK. I'm not OK with that. So, if the city chooses that this is the path they want to go down, and they're happy with her performance, then, then they need to pay us."

CBS Colorado has reached out multiple times to Halburnt for interviews regarding the ongoing concerns shared by police and fire officials over the last year. She continues to decline to comment, and says, "We cannot comment on active or pending litigation."

"I remain steadfast, knowing that I did the right thing. I feel good about the fact that I stood up for what I believe is right," Mahoney said.

"We still have a staff that, that loves us. We have you know citizens that are fighting for us. This hasn't gone away," Grado said.